


the student becomes the master

by toque



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Gen, No beta we die like mne, and luke said ok, the force said yeet quigs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:40:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26743768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toque/pseuds/toque
Summary: Luke's been having a weird week, and now to top it off, he's apparently traveled 50 years into the past.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Luke Skywalker
Comments: 54
Kudos: 618
Collections: Punch Qui-Gon and Adopt Obi-Wan, Stories Which Made for a Better Day





	the student becomes the master

Luke didn’t know where he was. One moment he’d been exploring Ahch-To, trying to decide whether his new school should be so removed from the galaxy, and then he’d arrived...here. Wherever here was.

He’d been spoiled, these last few months, exploring alone or occasionally with Lando or Mara, and he’d let his shielding slip because of it. He was regretting that now, the press of billions of minds against his sending him stumbling as he slammed his shields back up. There weren’t many places that had made him feel like this, made him retreat into his own mind so much that he couldn’t have sensed Leia unless she was within a continent. That narrowed down his choices immediately and as he blinked away spots left over from the disorientation of...teleportation?...a name came to mind.

Imperial Center.

Except the last time he’d been on the recently-renamed planet, he’d had a migraine for reasons other than simple population shock. There had been a lingering and malicious _intent_ to the planet, gleefully fueled by the Emperor and the wound in the Force that was the Imperial Palace.

What he felt now...wasn’t that.

Finally turning his attention outwards, Luke felt fairly foolish. He could have known that he was on Coruscant earlier if he’d bothered to look up. Luke was standing in the shadow of the Senate right next to an information terminal. Glancing around, no one seemed to notice him in his ‘adventuring’ clothes, dirty from crawling around the island he’d been on five minutes ago.

According to the terminal he was over fifty years in the past.

Luke exhaled through his teeth, cursing mystical Force caves, caverns, and every other mystical site in the galaxy. This was nothing like his experience on Dagobah. He could _sense_ the Light and life around him, too intricate to be anything other than real—including something that felt like a sun in the Force. He’d never felt anything like it before.

Done with the info terminal, Luke started wandering towards the pure, bright note in the Force like a moth drawn to flame.

* * *

It didn’t take him long to reach the steps of a large building that seemed to be pulling him in, and neither of the visible guards at the entrance made a move to stop him as he drifted inside. Looking around at the light-filled hall, the Force sang rightness at the same time it continued tugging at him.

He admired the architecture and the art as he wandered, letting his feet lead him to where he needed to go.

One awkward turbolift later, he found himself in an airy hall that seemed to draw him towards a large room where he heard the faint, familiar sound of many people doing physical activity at once. When he reached the hall, he had to stifle a gasp.

It was a beautiful open room that was obviously a training hall of some kind. There were several matches he could see going on, but the sense of _focus-anticipation-excitement_ that battered at his shields was coming from a knot of beings that had gathered in front of one of the stalls. The fight wasn’t what drew his attention, however, and he froze as he saw a flash of green at knee height.

Knowing he was in the past (somehow, and he didn’t have time to panic when the Force was still guiding him on an unknown mission) wasn’t the same thing as seeing someone he’d known. The clash of sabers and appreciative noises from the assembly faded as Luke stared.

Master Yoda was almost hidden behind the legs of several much taller beings (all in Jedi robes, unafraid of that silent declaration) but Luke _knew_ it was him. Their faded training bond was like a soft touch at the back of his mind and Luke watched, slightly panicked, as Yoda turned his head away from the fight that was still going on. 

The tiny Jedi Master set towards Luke and he couldn’t move away, Force still telling him _here-here-here._ Yoda finally reached him and Luke could see the confusion in his dark eyes.

Pushing aside his own confusion, Luke smiled and knelt.

“Hello, Master.”

A small green hand touched the hand he’d rested on his knee, and Yoda looked up at him with dawning recognition of their bond. “Possible, this should not be. A padawan I have not taken in many years.”

Luke’s smile twitched into something more sardonic, and he shrugged helplessly. “I’m not arguing that.” He looked up when he felt eyes on him, and Yoda took his hand back, obviously sensing the same. “We should stop distracting people,” Luke said quietly. Yoda turned back around and easily accepted the hand Luke offered to climb on his shoulders instead of whacking shins back to his place at the front of the crowd.

There were a few curious glances, but with Luke and Yoda focusing back on the fight, everyone whose attention had been drawn to them seemed satisfied.

Luke watched the fight for the first time since he’d stepped in the room and found himself frowning as he watched the two young humans go at each other. There was an undercurrent of true anger in the way they battered at each other’s defences and Luke couldn’t fight the fissure of unease that traveled down his spine.

“Who are the padawans?”

He spoke quietly enough that only Yoda could hear him, and Yoda replied in kind. “Initiates Kenobi and Chun, they are. An exhibition match, it is.”

Luke bit down on his immediate urge to blurt out “Ben?” the Force rang with the truth as he thought it, but urged him to stay silent. He simply nodded, watching the initiates.

The beginning of the end came when Ben—Obi-Wan—went on the offensive, slamming into the white-haired human’s saber again and again until Yoda leaped off his shoulder and landed back at the front of the group. “Enough!”

Luke was almost overwhelmed at the cheer that went up from the group of smaller beings at the front with Yoda, and he grinned at their enthusiasm. Obi-Wan’s face was alight with excitement and pride, and Luke spared a moment to mourn for his first Master’s innocence. Ben hadn’t given him more than a bittersweet smile the entire time he’d known him, and seeing Obi-Wan so happy was like standing in a ray of warm sunlight.

The impression was marred, however, by the deep scowl of the child behind Obi-Wan, and Luke tilted his head. Ah. It would be hard to lose a match set up specifically to be watched by people you admired. Luke let himself be funneled towards the front as people gave their congratulations and condolences before wandering away, leaving him with a tall human with long hair lingering by Yoda, and the two contestants.

“Good job, both of you. I only saw the end, but you both fought well,” Luke said with a smile. Chun was still scowling but Obi-Wan returned his smile, even if his eyes flicked towards the tall human. By the time the two initiates left, the mystery human and Yoda were having a hushed conversation that seemed to be veering towards an argument. Luke felt awkward standing on the fringes of what was obviously a personal discussion, but before he could make an escape, Yoda turned towards him and beckoned him closer.

“Introduce yourselves, you should. Lineage, you are.”

Luke couldn’t keep his eyebrows from lifting in surprise. The mystery human turned to Luke, bowing slightly. “It’s always nice to meet more of our lineage. Qui-Gon Jinn. It’s curious that we’ve never met before,” they said, light blue eyes assessing Luke’s clothes and bag with a sharp-edged curiosity.

Luke bowed back awkwardly. “Luke Skywalker.”

“Wandering, Knight Skywalker has been,” Yoda said, and Luke coughed so he wouldn’t laugh in the other Jedi’s face.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Knight Skywalker,” Jinn said. Luke smiled and nodded, but Jinn’s attention was already back on Yoda. “I am _not_ taking a padawan. Not for a long time, maybe never again.”

Yoda hummed in the mischievous way Luke had learned to be wary of on Dagobah, and he had to fight not to lurch away from gimer range.

“Talk to initiate Kenobi, you should.”

Jinn’s jaw twitched slightly but his voice was even when he said, “If you agree not to immediately shove another initiate after me after I turn him down.” Jinn paused, then continued wryly “Or after I get back from my mission. Or even after that, grandmaster.”

The mischief was still present when Yoda nodded and Luke couldn’t imagine how Jinn missed it when he bowed slightly and stalked towards wherever Obi-Wan had presumably gone.

“Why are you pushing him towards Kenobi so hard?” Luke wondered aloud, frowning down at his old Master.

“Knight Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Master should be.”

“He didn’t seem that interested in the job.”

“A test. Failed, he did,” Yoda sighed, “but another chance, he will have.”

Luke’s frown deepened. “That doesn’t seem right. He’s leaving, isn’t he?”

“Leaving, initiate Kenobi will be also.”

“So you’re just going to make them sort it out on their own?” Luke had thought that at the height of their influence and power, the Jedi would have a different teaching style than throwing tests at beings that didn’t know they were being taught a lesson. It made him uncomfortable to think that perhaps his haphazard training wasn’t so far from the norm, when he’d only been trained because his Masters needed a job done.

He almost didn’t hear Yoda’s response, “An opportunity for both to learn, it will be.” 

Luke only frowned harder as the Master left. Obi-Wan hardly looked twelve. What kind of lesson could he learn by being turned down for an apprenticeship and then _maybe_ being accepted by someone who obviously didn’t want to teach?

The Force began tugging at him again and Luke sighed. Well, maybe he’d find out. He set off after Jinn.

* * *

“I won’t turn.”

The Force lit up as Luke heard those words and he inhaled sharply in the doorway of the changing area as Jinn almost ran him over. The older Jedi’s brows furrowed in confusion as he had to make a hasty stop.

“Knight Skywalker?”

Luke shook himself out of his memories and looked up sharply. “Master Jinn.”

“I thought you would still be talking with Master Yoda.”

Luke nodded slowly. “I was. He mentioned that this was an exhibition match, and I wanted to introduce myself to initiate Kenobi.”

Jinn snorted. “Both of the initiates acted in anger, Kenobi in particular. If you are absolutely enamoured with taking a padawan so soon after returning from ‘wandering,’ you may wish to meet others who are not so eager to begin walking a dark path.”

Obi-Wan flinched behind Jinn and Luke scowled. “All I saw were two initiates eager to prove themselves to beings they admire and look up to.”

“Then you are mistaken. If it were the will of the Force for initiate Kenobi to become a Knight then a Master would have chosen him by now. He will be leaving for the Corps soon, and it isn’t kind to give him false hope at this point.”

Luke was staggered by Jinn’s arrogance. If Jinn thought Obi-Wan and the other initiate were doomed to Fall for some petty frustration while sparring, Luke vaguely wondered what the Jedi would make of _him_ if Jinn could feel past his shields.

Forcing himself to muster up every bit of political acumen Leia had drilled into him before letting him step foot on the Coruscant of his own time, Luke stared coldly at the Jedi for a moment before saying, “I believe you were leaving, Master Jinn. I came to speak to initiate Kenobi, not hear you bully a child based on your own fears.” He stepped to the side, inclining his head mock respectfully.

Jinn fled with a huff, cloak flaring out in a way that reminded Luke of his father. Luke smiled to himself. Jedi and Sith, united in drama.

If Qui-Gon were really part of Yoda’s lineage, then surely he could take a joke…and the way he’d talked about Obi-Wan as if he weren’t in the room grated on Luke’s nerve.

Luke reached out with the Force and it seemed to giggle along with him as he hit the door control, forcing it to spring out and catch on the fluttering hem of Jinn’s cloak.

He heard a muffled yell and a soft _thump,_ and Luke let the door open an inch to release the robe. 

He turned back towards Obi-Wan with a wink and offered what he hoped was a comforting smile. “I’m sorry about that, initiate.”

Obi-Wan was still standing where he’d been the whole time Jinn and Luke had been talking, and Luke gestured to the bench. “Go ahead and sit down, that was a lot to take in.” Luke followed his own advice, walking over and sitting a ways down from Obi-Wan, leaving the route to the door unobstructed.

* * *

Knight Skywalker was nothing like any of the Jedi Obi-Wan had considered asking to be his Master. He watched the Knight sit a ways down the bench, folding their hands in their lap. Obi-Wan hoped the tears that had been building weren’t visible, blinking a few times before taking his own seat and asking, “Why do you want to talk to me?”

“Well for one, you did a very good job during that fight.”

Obi-Wan knew the Knight had congratulated him, but it had seemed like a courtesy, just the polite thing to do. He frowned. “That _can’t_ be it.”

“Why not?”

Knight Skywalker was smiling, and irrationally, Obi-Wan felt like the older Jedi was making fun of him. “Master Qui-Gon said I was too angry! You heard him, he thinks I’m gonna Fall, and I’ve always been too angry to be a good Jedi.”

This time he couldn’t stop the tears from coming. He’d been so _close_ but even if Knight Skywalker had really been thinking about taking him on as a padawan, surely he’d change his mind now. Knowing he’d messed even this up, Obi-Wan cried harder, covering his face with his hands.

“You’re the least likely person to Fall I’ve ever met.”

Obi-Wan didn’t know what made him blurt out “But you were just talking to Master Yoda!”

Knight Skywalker laughed softly. “And he’s 800 years old. He’s had a lot of time to become a good Jedi.” The Knight paused, then said, “Do you think it’s easy to Fall?”

Obi-Wan hadn’t been expecting a quiz about the Force after his exhibition, but he thought for a moment before venturing, “I guess? It seems like all anyone talks about is anger, and I can’t _stop_ being so angry. It makes me frustrated, and that just makes me _angrier._ If I can’t stop, doesn’t that mean I’m gonna?”

He waited for the Knight to lecture him. Surely they knew more about it?

Instead, after a moment of silence, Knight Skywalker asked another question. “You said you wouldn’t turn. Did you mean it?”

Obi-Wan blushed bright red. “Well...maybe with help. But of course I don’t _want_ to Fall!” he rushed to reassure the Knight, but they weren’t frowning or anything. Obi-Wan wiped his tears away the best he could and squared his shoulders like he was going to start a kata. “I meant it. I won’t Fall.”

Knight Skywalker smiled again, and it felt like a secret. “I know you won’t, Obi-Wan Kenobi. And if you still want help, I would be honored to guide you.”

Obi-Wan knew he must have looked surprised, because Knight Skywalker hurried to continue. “Only if you want me as a teacher. I know you don’t know me at all and I’d be happy to wait to let you think about it, you don’t _have_ to—” 

“Yes.”

Knight Skywalker cut himself off and Obi-Wan let his shields down to catch the edge of _surprise-happiness._

“I—really?”

“Yes, Knight Skywalker, I would like to be your padawan.”

Obi-Wan was surprised at the _joy_ he felt in the Force, not only from Knight Skywalker, but echoed through his own senses. He settled a little more, sure of his choice.

“Let’s go inform Master Yoda, shall we? You’ll have to help me a little, I’ve been away—oh, a long time. I’m not quite sure of the protocol now.”

“I thought you were going to help me?” Obi-Wan’s eyes widened. He probably shouldn’t talk back to his new _Master—_

Knight Skywalker laughed, and Obi-Wan smiled hesitantly. “Tomorrow, I promise.”

Obi-Wan’s smile grew. “Okay then.”

* * *

Luke stood up to follow the initiate—padawan, _his_ padawan—in a slight daze. This wasn’t _quite_ the last thing he’d expected to do today, but it was fairly close. They walked back out to the training area, and Luke realized that Obi-Wan was still in his sparring clothes. Before he could turn them around again, a voice piped up from around his knees.

“Packed, are you?” Somehow Luke wasn’t surprised to see Yoda hanging back in the salles. “For its last passenger, the shuttle is waiting, Obi-Wan.”

Luke fought down the swell of anger at the lack of a title. Both he and Yoda had _known_ Jinn would turn Obi-Wan down, and Yoda was simply driving home Obi-Wan’s perceived loss. “Padawan Kenobi, now,” he corrected. “If you could point me to wherever I need to go to formalize it, I’d appreciate it Master.”

Master Yoda narrowed his eyes and Luke noticed Obi-Wan looked away. “Experienced enough, you are not.”

“And how would you know?” Luke asked wryly. “You’re the one who recognized me as a Knight, Master,” he pointed out, placing a hand on Obi-Wan’s shoulder. “I’m willing to take whatever classes you have for new Masters, of course.”

“Courses, we have not. In the Temple system, you are not.”

“I can wait to make it official. But I believe padawan Kenobi should have a say in it. He did agree to become my padawan when I asked.”

They were starting to draw curious looks, and Luke watched his old Master frown. “Necessary, it is not. Confer with the Council, we shall.”

Luke smiled beatifically as Yoda glared at him and offered him a hand to perch on his shoulders again. “I’m glad to hear it Master. Now which way to the Council chambers?”


End file.
